They’re thick, gooey, and incredibly sought-after, but at £2 each, Marks &Spencer’s sensation Chunked N’ Loaded Cookies certainly aren’t budget-friendly. The Raspberry Cheesecake flavour is achievable at home for just 52p per biscuit, saving bakers well over half the funds per portion.
To help cookie fans in recreating these decadent treats at home for a mere fraction of the cost, Marc Porcar, CEO of QRFY, enlisted Ann Cooper, owner of family bakery Wonderberrys. Ann from Wonderberrys stepped in to craft these recipes from the ground up for QRFY, utilising straightforward supermarket staples and an ingenious baking technique to achieve that distinctive molten middle. “In order to successfully make this type of stuffed cookie, the filling needs to be frozen and then added to the cookie mix just before going into the oven.
“This process maintains the stability of the centre and stops it from melting into the cookie dough. Obviously, people could just add it to the dough, but it won’t maintain a soft centre after cooking.”
At a mere 52p to 67p each, these homemade cookies are a steal compared to the £2 M&S originals, yet they don’t skimp on luxury or quality.
For the Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie you will spend roughly 52p per cookie. Ingredients include 275g plain flour, 115g unsalted butter, 1 egg, 175g light brown sugar, ¼ tsp baking powder, ⅓ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 30g cream cheese, 30g raspberry jam, and 100g white chocolate chips.
The method:
Start by freezing your chosen filling – cheesecake mixture, pistachio cream, or Nutella – in 10g dollops until they’re solid, which should take about an hour.
Whisk together butter and sugar before mixing in the egg. Sift in the dry ingredients and blend manually.
Shape the dough into six portions, make an indentation in each, pop in the frozen filling, and then seal them up tight.
Bake at 180°C (fan) on a pre-warmed baking sheet for 11–14 minutes, taking them out just shy of turning golden to keep the middle molten.
Allow to cool on the tray before tucking in.
Marc Porcar, CEO of QRFY, said: “We noticed how quickly people were falling in love with these M&S cookies online, but also how quickly the cost adds up. We wanted to show how easy and affordable it is to make something similar from scratch, so we reached out to Wonderberrys for expert help.”
Ann from Wonderberrys commented on these delightful recipes.
She said: “Many people like to enjoy a sweet treat now and again and baking your own cookies can provide a sense of satisfaction and achievement. We develop all our own recipes from scratch and use only fresh ingredients with no preservatives.
“These recipes are cost effective to make at home and also great to do with the kids over the summer holidays. Even if you’ve never baked before, give them a go, they could be your new party piece when entertaining friends!”.
Marc Porcar, CEO of QRFY, added: “At QRFY, we’re all about making great ideas easy to access and share. These recipes are a perfect example, a fun, affordable way to try something new. We’re proud to have helped bring them to life and hope people enjoy baking (and eating) them as much as we enjoyed putting this campaign together.”